In a season that saw more losses among top teams than any in the last decade and in an NCAA tournament that showcased one of the most upset-packed first weekends in history, the dust has settled and the No. 1 seeds are still standing — looking dominant as ever.
All four No. 1 seeds are through to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2009.
But only once since the seeding began in 1979 have all four No. 1 seeds advanced to the Final Four, and that was 2008. Though history says a sweep of Saturday's and Sunday's games is unlikely — three No. 1s in the Final Four has happened four times — we are still only one round away, despite the volatile season, from three or four No. 1s in Houston.
Here's a look at the No. 1 seeds ranked in order of their likelihood of winning the national title.
1.) North Carolina Tar Heels
► Path: Defeated No. 16 Florida Gulf Coast, No. 9 Providence and No. 5 Indiana; faces No. 6 Notre Dame on Sunday.
- Margin of victory: 16.67 points
► Strength: This veteran team is playing with the poise and swagger characteristic of title teams. UNC is highly efficient in several areas, mainly on the offensive glass. The Tar Heels rank in the top 10 nationally in rebounding margin, and that's largely due to All-American Brice Johnson (16.8 ppg, 10.5 rpg). They have great guard play from Marcus Paige and Joel Berry II and rank in the top five nationally in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio.
► Weakness: It was shooting from beyond the arc; the Tar Heels rank in the 300s in three-point shooting percentage (31.4%), but Paige channeled his former hot-shooting self on Friday against Indiana with six threes as UNC shot 55% from downtown.
2.) Kansas Jayhawks
► Path: Defeated No. 16 Austin Peay, No. 9 UConn and No. 5 Maryland; faces No. 2 Villanova on Saturday.
- Margin of victory: 18 points.
► Strength: This is one of Bill Self's best shooting teams (better than 50% from the field). It's also one of his most experienced. Case in point was Thursday against Maryland; Senior Perry Ellis had 27 points to keep the game in KU's control.
► Weakness: The fact that Kansas hasn't lost since Jan. 26 is an incredible feat considering the Big 12 schedule it had to navigate. But you always wonder during long winning streaks, like Kentucky last season, when it might end. They also run into a red-hot Villanova team that's playing like a No. 1 seed itself.
3.) Oregon Ducks
► Path: Defeated No. 16 Holy Cross, No. 8 Saint Joseph's and No. 4 Duke; faces No. 2 Oklahoma on Saturday.
- Margin of victory: 19.3 points.
► Strength: Dillon Brooks made headlines for his late three-pointer that came across as taunting in Oregon's win against Duke on Thursday. But that overshadowed how fantastic the versatile 6-7 forward is playing (22 points, six assists, five rebounds vs. Blue Devils). He's a matchup nightmare. And his energy is infectious. Chris Boucher leads the nation in blocks, providing a high intimidation factor in the paint.
► Weakness: The Ducks don't defend the outside shooting extremely well, at least on paper. That's a major problem against a Buddy Hield and Oklahoma.
4.) Virginia Cavaliers
► Path: Defeated No. 16 Hampton, No. 9 Butler and No. 4 Iowa State; faces No. 10 Syracuse on Sunday.
- Margin of victory: 19.0 points.
► Strength: Coach Tony Bennett is best known for his smothering man-to-man defense, which holds opponents to fewer than 60 points a game. But the Cavaliers also are highly efficient on offense. This team ranks in the top 10 nationally in field goal percentage. ACC Player of the Year Malcolm Brogdon carries this team offensively and comes up big when the Cavaliers need it.
► Weakness: The Cavs tend to get outrebounded, but the key is controlling the pace of the game, which they almost always do. That could be tough against an athletic team like Syracuse that's aggressive on the boards and uses its vaunted zone to unhinge opponents' offenses.
MEET THE ELITE EIGHT TEAMS REMAINING
